Fandom: Claymore
Title: The Shallow Heaven
Main Characters/Pairings: Raki/Claire, Isley/Rigald
Summary: Ice is brittle, but before it breaks into pieces, your life will be taken and your soul might cease to exist.
Rating: R/NC-17 (because of mentions of violence and sexual activities)
Status: Complete
Genre: Action/Romance/Dramatics
Warning: Sexual innuendo, cold-blooded seducing, character death. English is not my native tongue.
Word count: 967
Disclaimer: My name is not Yagi Norihiro, therefore "Claymore" cannot be mine.
Spoilers: If you haven't watched the tenth episode of the anime and read up to twelfth volume of the manga – more than vast.
The Shallow Heaven
"We cannot afford another loss" the bright, long hair glitter in the lamplight when a tall, slender man, who is seated at an antique desk, speaks. "So take all twenty-seven soldiers with you, and make Pieta vanish of the face of the earth. I want it to become a place where not even a single breath is taken. Annihilate all the life forms you shall come across, and that applies to Claymores as well". The words are cold and the tone of the man's voice is decisive, a smile on his lips twisted, one corner of his lips up and the other down.
Rigald nods, giving Isley an understanding look. They are warriors, they fight. The warrior's path lies within death. Fear should not overwhelm them, for in fearlessness and uncompromising is the source of their strength. The pure energy, the sole power cannot be relied on above all else. There has to be trust between the comrades, between the leader and his soldiers, so that all of them would be able to make necessary decisions as fast as possible, predicting the other's thoughts and ideas if necessary.
"Thank you, my brave, silver-eyed Lion King" Isley whispers and his strong, yet silky soft hand touches Rigald's cheek, while the lips play a subtle sonata on dark-haired man's neck.
"Don't call me that", Rigald hisses through his clenched teeth, but subconsciously leans into his master's caress, hopelessly addicted to the touch of the man whom he admires and respects so much. Isley smiles delicately as desire emerges from underneath Rigald's usual calm mask of indifference, his eyelids close and a single sigh escapes Rigald's throat.
The black-haired man melts in Isley's embrace, longing for the touch and kisses the ruler of Alphonse is so generously providing him. Strong arms encircle Rigald's waist, and the ecstasy soon reaches its zenith, as the Lion King comes abruptly and wholeheartedly, spreading his seed on Isley's abdomen, while the white, hot lava fills him up to no limit. When they lay down on Isley's couch, the last thing Rigald remembers is the fact that he's being held close, and with this he quickly falls into a blissful slumber. Never will he see the triumphant smile enlighten Isley's features, neither will he acknowledge the cold, evil gleam in his enthralling grey eyes – the eyes of the King of Ice.
Rigald is not the only one whom those eyes had put a spell on, for that new member of their team, a boy named Raki, adores Isley as intensely as the Lion King does. To Raki Isley is a long-lost older brother, someone who will teach everything he needs to know about swordsmanship, provide him care and safety. Therefore Raki yearns with all his soul to become as strong as Isley to protect the woman he loves the most and with all his heart, his sliver-eyed goddess, his sweet dream, his soul mate - and so he begs Isley to shape him and unwittingly he places his life in Isley's untrustworthy hands.
The Lion King, composed and dignified as usual, enters the Pieta borders to fulfil his lover's wish. Burn this insignificant town to the ground, turn it ashes and let its inhabitants and those bloody Claymores rest underneath the never melting snow and ice, shattered only by merciless northern winds.
He spots them immediately: the delicate Jean, the brash Helen, the boyish Deneve, the angelic Flora with golden locks surrounding her beautiful features, the powerful and decisive phantom Miria, slender Veronica, impulsive Undine and surprisingly weak Claire.
Oh, he admits that they are strong for their own kind and beautiful in their own unique fashion. What surprises him the most is their undeniable courage and determination, with which they attack him and try to accomplish the impossible. He kills them one by one, without hesitation or doubt, with cruel, stunning precision.
The strongest one of them, the one called phantom Miria, has speed and accuracy almost as great as his own, but just almost. After a while Rigald experiences disappointment: the Claymore leader's speed drops, and Miria swings her sword more out of the habit than out of cold rage. Finally he reaches her flesh instead of nonsensically stabbing the mirages she's so good at creating. Feeling the triumphant smile spread on his animalistic features, he forgets about the others just for a second. This second costs him his life.
The weakest of Claymores, driven by fury and incredible instinct, suddenly becomes fast and soon Rigald's arm falls on the ground, staining the pure whiteness of snow with blood. The Lion King gets angry: how dare this weakling, this worthless louse even think she might defeat him, the great Rigald? But even though he manages to wound her, to make her bleed, she still is the victorious one as the blades grow on her shoulders and she resembles monster more than a half-human being she'd been just a moment ago.
The last thing Rigald notices is that his strong, impressive body breaks into pieces.
In his mind's eyes he sees Isley's smile and brightness of regard, the beautiful grey irises that shine like stars and are the clearest signal of the man's strength. But there's no truth behind this smile and those enthralling slivery eyes, just emptiness filled with lies and reflections of things, of people, of feelings and words.
Isley will not come to his rescue. The tool is useless now, for it is damaged and destined to die.
The ice is brittle, but before it breaks into pieces, your life will be taken and your soul might cease to exist. The shell of Rigald's body turns into dust, blown by the wind, never to rest.
His heart was stolen long ago, even though he did not notice it's been gone.